An American's Adventures in Australia & Beyond

My Travel Bucket List – Join Me!

I was inspired by this brave couple who wrote a post about how they planned their year abroad together and realized that for as much as I talk about traveling and seeing new things and being inspired by the world, etc. etc., I have never put together a list of must-dos. So, I’ve opted to start this list and share it with you, my friends and family, so you can decide if you might want to be my travel companion for any of these jaunts. They are listed here in order of continent, but not in order of importance. If you want to join – let me know!

Also note that this is a “to-do” list, not a “to-done” list, so if there’s something obvious missing, I’ve probably already done it! If you have suggestions on any of the below places, please comment!

Africa:

1.) Morocco: Buy spices in Marrakesh, explore Fes al Bali in Fez, see the dunes while riding a camel in Merzouga, eat in an outdoor cafe near the ocean in Casablanca, lay out on the beach in Essaouria

2.) Madagascar: Enjoy the beaches in Masoala, hang out with lemurs in Berenty, drive down the Avenue of the Boababs, shopping and eating in Antanarivo/Tana, try my best to speak French with the locals

3.) Take a safari (any country is fine), see giraffes, a hippo, and a rhino (among other things)

4.) Seychelles: Reeeelax

5.) Egypt: See the pyramids, the sphinx, and cruise the Nile like Cleopatra

6.) Mauritius: Chill on some white sand beaches and snorkel the reefs

Asia:

1.) Thailand: Eat pad thai in the streets of Bagkok, shop at the floating markets, see the grand Palace at Wat Pho, take a longtail boat ride to Krabi and visit Ko Lanta Yai, take a couple of days to relax in Koh Phi Phi See my Thailand Adventures here!

2.) Bali: Do a couple of days of a yoga retreat in Ubud, shop at the markets in Seminyak, ogle surfer boys at Uluwatu and Padang, scuba dive at Menjangen Island, visit the Elephant Safari Park in Taro Read about my Bali adventures here!

3.) Philippines: Explore Palawan’s underground river and relax on the beaches, get bespoke suits made in Manila, see Malapscua’s unspoiled beauty in Cebu, party in Boracay for a day or two, swim with the whale sharks in Donsol, hang with the locals in Coron

4.) Japan: See the cherry blossoms in spring, watch a sumo tournament in Tokyo, sing karaoke at a karaoke bar, eat REAL sushi (conveyor belt optional), see the ancient temples and bamboo forest in Kyoto, spend the night with monks in Koya’s mountaintop temples, snorkel in Okinawa (and see my friend Sarah’s new daughter!)

5.) India: See the Taj Mahal, hit the beaches in Goa, ride a yak on a yak safari

6.) The Maldives: Scuba at Banana Reef and reeeelax

Australia:To read about all my Australian adventures, on and off the bucket list, check this out.

1.) Outback road trip from Darwin to Uluru/Ayer’s Rock.Uluru blew me away. Read my first impression here, and about what it was like to ride a camel through the desert here.

2.) Perth and the beaches of western Australia, including Broome.

3.) Long weekend in the Blue Mountains hiking, kayaking, exploring.My first visit to the Blue Mountains is covered here.

4.) Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road. Read about these adventures here.

5.) Wine tasting at the Barossa Valley outside Adelaide in South Australia

7.) Snorkel or scuba the Great Barrier ReefPosts about North QLD are here and here.

8.) Visit Kangaroo Island

9.) Food and wine tour of Tasmania

Europe:

1.) Turkey: Charter a boat for a private cruise off Turkey’s coast (after a couple of days soaking up the sights of Istanbul and maybe taking a dip in the Pammakale Thermal Pools).

2.) Croatia: Sail on the Adriatic, see Diocletian’s Palace in Split, take the ferry from Split to Dubrovnik, get lost in Dubrovnik, pretend I’m a millionaire in Hvar, hike around the waterfalls in Krka National ParkPost to come!

3.) Monaco: Put it all on black in the Monte Carlo, yacht on the Cote d’Azur (a girl can dream)

4.) France: National wine tour of France (emphasis on the Champagne and Châteauneuf-du-Pape regions), take a cooking class in a tiny village off the beaten track

5.) Germany: Oktoberfest in Munich

6.) Italy: Coastal town tour, wine and culinary tour (nationwide)

7.) Greece: Tour every. single. island.

8.) Belgium: Beer and Chocolate tour(s)

9.) England: London and an English literary tour (Shakespeare, Austen, Keats, etc.)

10.) Spain: Run with the bulls in Pamplona, apprentice at a dairy farm to learn how to make world-class cheese. Post to come!

11.) Norway: See the Lofoten Islands, take the Flaam railway to see the wild, get lost in Oslo, see the Northern Lights, experience midnight sun, hike the fjords (or take a boat tour)

Oceania:

1.) Fiji: Sleep in a hut over the water (glass-bottom bathtub +20 awesome points), see the orchids at the Garden of the Sleeping Giant in Nadi, get dropped on an uninhabited island for a day, see the Sri Sara Subramaniya temple in Nadi, ride a horse through the villages in the Namosi Highlands, ogle surfer boys at TavaruaRead about our many Fijian adventures here!

2.) New Zealand: Hike across a glacier, zorbing (I’m not even 100% sure what this is, but it sounds awesome), do a microbrew pub crawl, see the glow worms in the Waitomo Caves at night (possibly by blackwater rafting trip?), go wine tasting in Marlborough, sail out to the Bay IslandsWe spent three glorious weeks in New Zealand. It’s all recapped here.

3.) Easter Island: see the Moai

4.) Tahiti: Reeeelax

5.) Vanuatu: Explore Efate, lounge on the beach in Espiritu Santo, hike the volcano at Tanna, watch the land diving at Penecost IslandPosts about the Vanuatu trip are all here.

North America:

1.) Alaska: Rent an RV and see EVERYTHING (especially the Northern Lights)

2.) Montana: Spend time on a farm riding horses, camping in Glacier National Park, eat local food in Whitefish and Kalispell

1.) Canouan Island: This is one of my dream honeymoon/romantic trip destinations; it’s definitely luxury so things to do would probably be golf, hitting the spa, lounging on the beach and doing other honeymoon-ey type things.

2.) Brazil: Carnivale in Rio de Jainiero, boat tour of the Amazon

3.) Cuba: Get lost in Havana, snorkel and fish in Varadero, see flamingos in Jardines del Rey

4.) Argentina: Learn to tango, see the Iguazú Falls, a tour through every region of wine country, sample every single cut of beef the country is famous for, explore Patagonia

Yay! My travel partners might be wanting Melbs instead of Perth over Labour Day, so maybe we’ll get over to the West together. I’ve been dreaming of Croatia for YEARS! Are you back in the States for the whole Xmas break? Was thinking Outback roadtrip then…

Hi! I’m Jenn

You have a masterpiece inside you, you know. One unlike any that has ever been created, or ever will be. If you go to your grave without painting your masterpiece, it will not get painted. No one else can paint it. Only you.